


And It Gets Everywhere

by catisacat



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 15:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11016570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catisacat/pseuds/catisacat
Summary: It's been a long, long time since Angel last got to play on the beach.





	And It Gets Everywhere

**Author's Note:**

> More for the Borderlands Summer Bingo, also an excuse to write more Gaigel. Also also it's Fic Number Fifty! Also also also I tried not to make the title a stupid Star Wars joke but it's a stupid Star Wars joke and we're all going to live with it like that.
> 
> Anyways this is the prompts Sandcastle + Sand in Places + Vacation. Technically like three different works have vacation in them but I'll put it on this one.

Angel cautiously knelt in the sand. It had been so long since she’d last felt the ocean breeze on her skin like this. Seen the rolling waves crashing against the shore. She could hear it all, a benefit of the otherwise completely abandoned beach.

Gaige was glad to see her girlfriend’s recovery was going well. Despite Jack’s constanting warnings, claiming she’d die if she disconnected from her prison, she’d adapted to a life without constant Eridium well. Despite dark marks still pocking her skin from Dr. Zed’s poking and prodding she was mostly okay.

She was a bit self conscious of those bruises though, visible in the spaces around the frilly blue swimsuit they’d managed to make for her. Who knew Axton was so good at sewing?

However, despite her speedy recovery, her unnaturally pale skin glowing in the sunlight was definitely going to be burnt. Gaige was sure of that.

Not that Angel cared though as she slowly gathered the grains of sand into a small mound, experimentally. Blue and green eyes glinting in the unfamiliar sunlight. It hadn’t been since she was a child that she’d seen a beach. Gotten to play in the sand.

Things were different now, though. Looking behind her she wouldn’t see her mom and her dad. Long black hair and skin nearly as pale as her own, blue eyes like pale sapphires. She’d be laughing, she usually was. How could she not? All her husband did was tell terrible dad jokes and do just about anything to be the center of attention.

Cold reality seeped into the once warm memory. The last “dad joke” Angel had ever heard her father tell her had a punchline regarding him strangling a child in front of their parents.

Like a knife in the gut, the scorching hot, guilty thought of “I’m glad he’s dead” burned into her stomach.

Assuaging her tumultuous thoughts she looked behind her, at her new family.

Krieg and Maya were struggling to get a small tent going. Maya reading off the instructions while Krieg tried his best to comply. Body jerking randomly, hands shaking, as an internal struggle made anything constructive a real effort. It was working though. Slowly.

Avoiding helping, Axton and Salvador were already in the water. Sal seemed to be trying to race the commando but to unsurprisingly no avail. Little did he know swimming was a Dahl training staple, under the concept of “you never know what a new planet will throw at you.”

Zer0? Angel didn’t quite get what they were doing but they seemed to be enjoying themselves, perched up high on that rock and surveying the area. She supposed any quiet moment was all Zer0 really needed to relax.

Gaige seemed to be in the process of removing her metal arm. For a second Angel was baffled by this until she remembered hot metal bad. Hot metal even badder when applied to skin. Gaige obviously didn’t want to spend the next few hours holding her arm away from her body under the even hotter than normal beach sun. After taking care of that Gaige walked over, armful of buckets, shovels and other sand-manipulating objects at her side, “Wanna kick that little sand castle to the umpth degree?”

Dragged out of her daydreaming Angel snapped to attention, looking up at the tools being offered to her. She smiled, “I’d love to.”

Taking trips side by side they brought back bucketfuls of wet sand, excitedly and happily molding it into their new creation. Giggling and idly chattering away. About this trip, about the future, about whatever new threat Lilith had brought up. Gaige making terrible jokes, Angel laughing at every single one.

Sitting there, sand sticking to absolutely unspeakable places, Gaige carefully brought something up, “Have you… ever been to the beach before?”

Angel was quiet for a second before answering, “Yes. A long time ago. A couple times, but not too often. Me and my mom get sunburned very easily. Well, got. For her. Dad loved the beach and was always fine, he’d just tan, but back then… back then he cared about my well being.”

She didn’t fight the awkward, one-armed hug. Tightly wrapping her own long, pale limbs around her girlfriend tightly. Gaige’s breath was even hotter on her neck as she whispered to Angel, “It’s okay. He’s gone and you have us now. We all care. Every single one of us.”

Mismatched eyes swept the small crowd around them. Maya and Krieg had successfully gotten the tent up, providing thick, dark, shade. Zer0 had slunk underneath it, Angel immediately recognizing their watchful eye simply waiting for a dark spot for them to curl up in. She didn’t know much about them but it was obvious they didn’t like the light.

Axton and Sal had finally waded in to help Maya set up the fire pit, Sal already loudly telling them they were about to get the best barbeque of their natural lives.

Gaige gave Angel one more squeeze before bouncing up, holding out a hand to her, “Come on, let’s get something to eat. Forget about the past, forget about your shitty dad, and we’ll spend all day out here. Then all night trying to get sand out of our asses!”

Angel laughed as she was pulled to her feet, skin starting to catch a bright red hue already, “You put that so elegantly. How could I say no?”

“Exactly. Or we could have a romantic night of sleeping on the beach. At least we’ll have some comfy sandbeds. We can look up at the starfish! And I promise I won’t be shellfish about the covers because I love my gillfrond!!”

“Stop it,” Angel threatened with a laugh, “Or I’ll shove you into the water myself.”

“I’d like to see you try, I really would,” Gaige crooned back, dragging her girlfriend down to her level and planting a kiss on Angel’s sunburnt cheek as they sauntered into the tent with the others.

As they ate the sandcastle stood proudly in the background, a testament to their hard work.


End file.
